Strange activities in deepest Wales

Underground movement

Though Snowdonia is famed for its cloud-grazing peaks, it’s also one of the best places in the land to venture underground. At Go Below, set in a labyrinthine abandoned slate mine near the picturesque village of Betws-y-Coed, adventurers can abseil, rock climb and traverse lakes deep under the mountains of north Wales – and take on the brand-new challenge of the world’s longest and deepest underground ziplines. Five years in the making, the Zip Below Xtreme’s wires skim for three miles through a vast landscape of caverns and tunnels, some as much as 400 metres below ground level – the deepest of any public place in the UK. Participants spend the day making their way along the course with an experienced caving instructor, scrambling along rock shelves and bridges in spaces often untouched since the 19th century. Look out for hobnail-boot prints or the occasional pipe or bowler hat left on a rock – Goliath, a slow, seated zip ride across a huge chamber, is especially good for a leisurely peek around. Snowdonia’s a hotspot for outlandish activities – head to nearby Zip World for a bird’s eye view whizzing above moors and mountains, or to bounce on trampoline-like nets in a cavern twice as big as St Paul’s Cathedral.